EATONTOWN, N.J., Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Climb Channel Solutions, an international specialty technology distributor and wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLMB) is proud to announce the promotion of two visionary leaders who have been instrumental in shaping the company’s growth and success. Kim Stevens has been elevated to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), while Charles Bass assumes the newly created role of Chief Alliances Officer (CAO).
These promotions mark a pivotal moment for Climb Channel Solutions as the company kicks off 2025 with unparalleled momentum, bolstered by more than 12 internal promotions announced during the recent Sales Kickoff, themed “Run With Us.”
As the former Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Kim Stevens has been the driving force behind groundbreaking marketing strategies that have transformed Climb’s global presence. Her promotion to CMO is a natural progression, reflecting her exceptional ability to innovate, inspire, and deliver results. Kim’s leadership will ensure that Climb remains agile and adaptable, aligning marketing strategies with the company’s ambitious goals while empowering resellers and partners to achieve new heights.
“Kim’s proven track record and vision for the future make her the ideal leader to take our marketing strategy to the next level,” said Dale Foster, Climb’s CEO. “Her commitment to excellence is a testament to the talent and dedication we nurture within Climb.”
Charles Bass, who has served as CMO for the past four years, has been instrumental in identifying and onboarding emerging brands, connecting them with resellers to accelerate business growth. In his new role as Chief Alliances Officer, Charles will focus on fostering high-impact partnerships and expanding Climb’s strategic alliances, ensuring the company continues to lead in the ever-evolving technology landscape.
“Charles has been a cornerstone of Climb’s success, and his transition to CAO is a game-changer for our approach to partnerships,” said Dale Foster, Climb’s CEO. “His ability to build relationships and bring the best emerging brands into our ecosystem has positioned Climb as a trusted partner for growth.”
With these leadership advancements, Climb Channel Solutions reaffirms its commitment to innovation, agility, and excellence. Dale Foster continues, “Our pack is growing, becoming more focused, and moving faster than ever. Kim and Charles embody the best of Climb’s values, and their promotions reflect our belief in empowering talent to drive us forward.”
These leadership promotions symbolize Climb’s dedication to evolving with the industry and investing in its greatest asset—its people.
Those interested in distribution services and solutions should contact Climb by phone at +1.800.847.7078 (US), or +1.888.523.7777 (Canada), or by email at Sales@ClimbCS.com.
About Climb Channel Solutions and Climb Global Solutions
Climb Channel Solutions is a global specialty technology distributor focusing on Security, Data Management, Connectivity, Storage & HCI, Virtualization & Cloud, and Software & Application Lifecycle. What sets Climb apart is our commitment to transform distribution by providing emerging and established IT technologies, flexible financing, real-time quoting, best of breed channel operations, speed to market, and exceptional service to our partners worldwide. Climb Channel Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions (NASDAQ: CLMB). Experience the Climb difference and learn how our people-first approach empowers VARs and MSPs to grow, scale, and accelerate their business. Visit www.ClimbCS.com, call 1-800-847-7078, and connect with us on LinkedIn!
For Media & PR inquiries contact: Climb Channel Solutions Media Relations media@ClimbCS.com
Investor Relations Contact: Elevate IR Sean Mansouri, CFA T: 720-330-2829 CLMB@elevate-ir.com
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review its decision to allow a company backed in part by foreign money and billionaire Democratic donor George Soros to obtain licenses for more than 200 American radio stations. The requested review by the FCC would include making certain that all required steps were followed according to FCC procedures and taking a closer look at the national security ramifications of the sale.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“Mr. George Soros is buying WWL AM radio in New Orleans. WWL AM radio is practically an institution in my state.”
. . .
“Any time a broadcast license—as is the case with Audacy—is transferred, the FCC has to approve it. So, Mr. Soros’s purchase of WWL Radio and the 219 other radio stations had to go before the FCC, and it did. And it went—the approval for Mr. Soros—went through the FCC like green grass through a goose. It was a party-line vote. It was last September. All three Democrats—there are five people on the FCC—all three Democrats said let it go, and [it has been alleged that] they short-circuited the normal process. . . . What happened was what some members of the media have called the ‘Soros shortcut.’ They just got together and rammed it through.”
. . .
“Mr. Soros—both George and [his son] Alex—believe that America would be better off if we had open borders. They believe that America would be better off, in my opinion—this is how I read their writings—if we ended jails and if we ran our government like the Communist Party of China. I don’t agree with that, but Mr. Soros—both of them—are entitled to their opinion. But my people in Louisiana are entitled to know whose opinion they are hearing on the radio.”
. . .
“I hope the new FCC revisits this issue. These licenses and these airwaves do not belong to me or to the FCC or to Audacy or to WWL. They belong to you and you and you—the American people. We are supposed to make sure through our FCC—that is why God created the FCC—that these licenses are not just given to anybody.”
Background:
Audacy is the second-largest owner of radio stations in the U.S. In total, Audacy owns roughly 220 stations in more than 45 media markets throughout the country.
In Jan. 2024, Audacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and offered to trade shares of the company to lenders who would take on debt. George Soros took on $400 million in Audacy’s debt for 50 cents on the dollar and became the largest shareholder in the restructured company. Several foreign entities also took on some of Audacy’s debt, leaving the company with more than 20% foreign ownership.
The FCC restricts the ability of companies with significant foreign ownership to obtain radio licenses. The agency is supposed to investigate foreign-backed companies to make sure they would operate in the American people’s interests before approving the transfer of any radio licenses.
According to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the Democrat-led FCC rushed the approval process to allow the transfer of licenses to the Soros-backed Audacy without conducting the standard investigations. Carr said the FCC had never previously used the “Soros-shortcut” procedure to approve licenses to a firm with significant foreign ownership.
Carr—who is now chairman of the FCC—has said he would take “a very hard look” at a petition to reconsider the license transfer to the Soros-backed company.
Soros has donated billions of dollars to leftist causes in recent years. Soros has called the U.S. “the main obstacle to a stable and just world,” and claimed that China has a “better functioning government than the United States.”
Shortly before leaving office, President Biden gave Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in The Telegraph arguing that the United Kingdom was right to consult the Trump administration before ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including the key U.S.-U.K. military base on Deigo Garcia, to Mauritius.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“Sir Keir Starmer appears to have had a change of heart when it comes to working with the Trump administration—and that’s a good thing.
“Just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister was poised to sign away the fate of a joint U.K.-U.S. military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.
“According to reports, Starmer and members of the outgoing Biden administration wanted to finali[z]e the agreement to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands—including Diego Garcia—to Mauritius before President Trump could take his oath.
“Fortunately, cooler—and perhaps wiser—heads prevailed. Prime Minister Starmer agreed to welcome President Trump to the negotiating table. This is great news. Friends don’t strike deals behind each other’s backs, especially when our shared security is on the line.”
. . .
“The idea that the U.K. must hand over the islands to atone for whatever perceived wrongs Britain’s forefathers may have committed is nonsense. The [United Nations] does not care about what is best for the Chagossian, British or American people. They only care about furthering a misguided anti-Western agenda.
“The U.K. is our ally, and Mauritius is our friend, but this is a matter of national security for the U.S. Anyone who expects the Trump administration to elevate the sensitivities of U.N. militants above the best interests of America and our allies is writing a [check] that can’t be cashed.
“The Chagossian, American and British people would all be safer if this deal with Mauritius found its way into the shredder for good.”
Background
On Jan. 15, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he wanted President Trump and his administration to weigh in on any deal struck between the U.K. and Mauritius regarding the transfer of the Chagos Islands, including the transfer of the U.S.-U.K. shared military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
The U.K. had previously announced on Oct. 3, 2024, that it had reached a deal with Mauritius to cede the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. The decision to consider ceding sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius followed a years-long pressure campaign from the United Nations.
On Oct. 23, 2024, Kennedy wrote to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking answers about the Biden administration’s involvement in the deal between the U.K. and Mauritius.
Kennedy also penned this op-ed in Oct. arguing that the Biden administration owes the American people an explanation for its decision to allow this deal between the U.K. and Mauritius to move forward.
Former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), President Trump’s nominee for National Security Advisor, has criticized the deal, saying, “Should the U.K. cede control of the Chagos to Mauritius, I have no doubt that China will take advantage of the resulting vacuum.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly condemned the deal and said it “poses a serious threat to our national security interests in the Indian Ocean and threatens critical U.S. military posture in the region.”
Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.
On January 25, 2025 police and other emergency services responded to a report of a submerged vehicle in Lake Laberge, Yukon. Three occupants were in the vehicle and only two were able to make it out of the vehicle safely.
Although it was anticipated that the recovery operation would take several days, British Columbia RCMP Under Water Recovery Team arrived to the Yukon and were able to locate and recover the person from the vehicle late in the afternoon on January 26, 2025.
Whitehorse RCMP would like to thank all of the first responders including volunteer first responders who attended the incident for their support.
Out of respect for the privacy of the family, no information will be released by the police about the deceased.
This matter is still under investigation and as such, no further information will be provided at this time.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Shenandoah, Virginia man pled guilty today to wire fraud for stealing over $200,000 from his former employer.
Vernon Fisher, 66, pled guilty today to two counts of wire fraud. At sentencing, Fisher faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, from approximately 2017 and continuing through 2021, Fisher was employed by ‘Victim Company,’ a plastics company located in Elkton, Virginia. Fisher served as an accountant and controller and his responsibilities included filing taxes, running payroll, managing cash, bank deposits, and paying company bills on behalf of Victim Company.
Fisher admitted to engaging in a multi-year scheme to steal from and defraud Victim Company by linking his personal bank accounts to the Victim Company bank accounts. Through a series of over 300 financial transactions, Fisher funneled over $200,000 of company money to his own accounts and used it for personal expenses at Neiman Marcus, Kay Jewelers, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and other high-end retailers.
Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan is prosecuting the case.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ming Gao, Research Scholar of East Asia Studies, Gender and Women’s History Research Centre, Australian Catholic University
Red envelopes, known as hongbao in Mandarin, are a cherished cultural tradition in China and many other parts of Asia.
In China, the vibrant red colour symbolises good fortune and joy. Hongbao can be given during many various festive and joyful occasions, and they are a prominent feature of Lunar New Year.
Receiving a hongbao is something most Chinese people, particularly children, eagerly anticipate every Lunar New Year. It was also one of my fondest childhood memories. But what’s the history behind this tradition?
A historical tradition
The origins of hongbao can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) when amulet-like items in the shapes of coins were worn.
Early practices resembling money giving took place in the Tang dynasty court (618–907 CE), where coins were scattered in springtime as part of celebrations.
Giving children money during celebrations became an established custom during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960–1368). In the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911/12), this tradition evolved further with money being given to children threaded on red string.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties money was given to children threaded on red string. Nataliia K/Shutterstock
The modern concept of hongbao emerged in early 20th-century China. Elders would give money wrapped in red paper to children during the Lunar New Year as a talisman against evil spirits, known as sui (祟).
The red envelopes given to children, or in some cases unmarried adults, during Lunar New Year are also called ya sui qian.
Colloquially, ya sui qian translates to “suppressing age money”, as sui (岁) also means age. Ya sui qian reflects the belief this money could ward off misfortune and slow ageing.
In traditional contexts, the amount of money inside the envelope carries symbolic meaning.
Even numbers, except for the number four (considered unlucky due to its phonetic similarity to the word for “death” in Chinese), are regarded as lucky. Six (symbolising smooth progress) and eight (symbolising prosperity) are particularly favoured.
Beyond monetary value, the act of giving and receiving hongbao represents a gesture of goodwill, reinforcing social bonds and conveying respect and care.
The digital revolution
Today, hongbao straddle the worlds of tradition and modernity, adapting to societal changes while preserving their cultural essence.
Super-apps like WeChat and AliPay have transformed this age-old practice from a physical tradition into a digital, virtual experience.
Red packet designs available on WeChat. Screenshot/Ming Gao
WeChat popularised the concept of “digital red envelopes” in 2014, incorporating gamified elements such as randomised monetary amounts and group exchanges.
In 2017, WeChat recorded a staggering 14.2 billionhongbao transactions on the eve of Lunar New Year alone. While the initial excitement around the digital hongbao has waned over time, the practice remains popular. On Lunar New Year’s Eve in 2024, WeChat users recorded approximately 5.08 billion digital hongbao transactions.
The shift to digital formats aligns with our increasingly cashless society, making it easier for people to participate in the custom, even across great distances. Families separated by migration can partake in this tradition in real time, maintaining connections that might otherwise weaken over long distances.
My child doesn’t get to see my parents very often, but my mother promised to send a “large” hongbao to her grandchild on the eve of the Lunar New Year this year. Despite the geographical distance spanning the ocean between Australia and China, the tradition of giving hongbao transcends borders, connecting our family members across continents every Lunar New Year.
Societal significance
The enduring popularity of hongbao highlights its importance in Chinese culture. It serves not only as a means of giving but also as a way to uphold tradition amid rapid modernisation.
The act of giving hongbao, whether physical or digital, reinforces intergenerational ties and preserves cultural heritage. Parents and grandparents giving hongbao to children during Lunar New Year continue to embody the traditional values of family and unity.
The act of giving hongbao reinforces intergenerational ties and preserves cultural heritage. SeventyFour/Shutterstock
But the digitisation of hongbao has sparked debates about its impact on traditional values. Some argue the ease of sending digital hongbao reduces the personal touch and thoughtfulness inherent in the physical exchange.
Others view it as an evolution that keeps the practice relevant and accessible in a fast-paced world.
Regional variations
While hongbao is most closely associated with Chinese culture, similar traditions exist across Asia, each with notable regional variations.
In Korea, during the Lunar New Year (Seollal), elders give money to young or unmarried adults after receiving their New Year’s bow (sebae). One legend suggests the Korean tradition originates from China. However, unlike the red envelopes used in Chinese culture, the money in Korea can be presented in white envelopes, as whiteness in Korean culture symbolises purity and new beginnings.
Similar traditions exist across Asia. These red envelopes are hanging in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Marie Shark/Shutterstock
In Singapore, where a diverse population blends Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions, the giving of hongbao (also known as ang bao or ang pow in Hokkien) is a common practice. This tradition has extended beyond the Chinese population, reflecting the cultural influence of Chinese diasporic communities.
While red envelopes are traditional, envelopes in other colours, such as pink or gold, are also considered acceptable.
The Future of hongbao
As technology continues to shape societal norms, the practice of giving hongbao is likely to further evolve.
The enduring appeal of hongbao lies in its core values: the celebration of relationships, the sharing of blessings, and the preservation of cultural heritage.
As the Lunar New Year of the Snake approaches, it’s wise to have some hongbao ready, whether digital or physical, to avoid being caught off guard by a playful youngster cheerfully exclaiming, “May you be prosperous, now hand over the red envelope!” (“gong xi fa cai, hong bao na lai”). This light-hearted and catchy greeting cleverly combines good wishes with a cheeky request for a hongbao.
Ming Gao does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Returning to work after a summer break can be jarring, especially for the many workers dissatisfied with their jobs. Almost half report high levels of job-related stress.
Dissatisfaction can be tied to an unhealthy, even toxic workplace where negative behaviour and poor leadership harm employee wellbeing and productivity.
Key indicators include bullying, harassment, lack of trust, poor communication and high job strain.
The impact of toxic workplaces
If you think your workplace is toxic, it is worth considering the impact it is having on your mental health. You might also consider how committed your organisation is to supporting its employees’ mental health.
Toxicity can develop gradually through subtle patterns of micromanagement, exclusion, or eroding morale. These dynamics create a draining environment that undermines individual wellbeing and business success.
According to Safe Work Australia, mental health-related workers’ compensation claims have increased by over a third since 2017-2018.
In 2021-2022, there were 11,700 accepted claims relating to mental health conditions. These cases proved highly costly for employers, with the median compensation paid being A$58,615.
The International Standards Organisation released a global standard in 2021 to help manage psychological health and safety risks in workplaces.
A number of countries, including Canada and Australia, have introduced laws and standards making employers responsible for preventing and managing work-related stress.
To support a safe workplace, some researchers (including one of the authors) have recommended an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to ensure companies respond appropriately to mental health risks.
What your employer is doing in the following three areas can show how committed they are to protecting mental health.
1. Preventing, minimising or managing the negatives
Most work, health and safety legislation and standards in Australia relates to protecting employees from physical hazards, including slips, trips and falls.
More recently, attention has turned to psychosocial hazards.
Safe Work Australia and Comcare, as well as state and territory regulators, keep a list of common hazards.
These include bullying, excessive workloads, low job control, lack of role clarity and exposure to traumatising events, for example, witnessing an accident.
These lists are not exhaustive and there are some problems unique to specific jobs. For instance, teachers are often isolated from their colleagues, face big administrative loads and sometimes have to deal with abusive students and/or parents.
Most employers can make necessary improvements including creating fairer workloads, redefining job roles and providing more support to individual employees.
2. Responding to employee mental health issues
Despite efforts to minimise the impact of psychosocial hazards, some employees will nonetheless experience mental health issues.
Employers should not try to treat an employee’s mental health problems. They should support them and direct them to appropriate mental health care.
Managers can also help by identifying signs of distress, having sensitive conversations with workers about the impact of mental illness and making reasonable changes to their roles.
Giving employees access to support services through employee assistance programs, which can offer confidential short-term counselling, can also help.
Making counselling available to employees can help staff mental health and workplace morale. kmpzzz/Shutterstock
Establishing a critical incident investigation procedure for events that have compromised employee mental health can help identify the cause of incidents and shape responses.
3. Promoting the positive
As well as managing the negative aspects of work, organisations can create conditions that promote employee mental health and wellbeing.
One approach for doing this is to provide flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid work, which can offer employees greater choice in work location and scheduling.
The SMART model suggests employees will be most satisfied in jobs that provide stimulation (for example, solving meaningful problems), mastery (receiving mentoring or constructive feedback), autonomy (creative freedom), social relationships (supportive colleagues) and tolerable demands (lack of psychosocial hazards).
Should I stay or should I go?
Making the decision to leave a workplace requires careful consideration.
In addition to your own wellbeing, you should consider whether your organisation prioritises mental health and how comfortable you would feel initiating a discussion about mental health.
Remember while changing jobs is a big step, staying in a toxic workplace can have serious long-term consequences for both mental and physical health.
Whatever you decide, prioritising your mental health and wellbeing should be central to your decision making.
Timothy Colin Bednall holds a part-time appointment as Head of Data Science with FlourishDx, a consultancy focused on workplace mental health. He receives funding from the National Mental Health Commission.
Kathryn Page has previously received research funding from WorkSafe Victoria, SuperFriend, VicHealth, and the NHMRC in the areas of workplace mental health. In addition to her Adjunct Professor role at Swinburne University she works full time as a Leadership Partner with ByMany. ByMany is a leadership consultancy. It does not do psychosocial risk assessments.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Leslie, Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy with a focus on Educational Psychology, University of Southern Queensland
It’s back-to-school season around Australia. While many students will be excited to reunite with friends, or have some nerves about the first day, others may feel an overwhelming sense of dread about school.
This can be confusing and worrying for parents.
We are researching child and parent perspectives about what is making school too stressful to attend. We have found it is useful to think about school attendance as a spectrum that may look like reluctance at one end and emotional distress at the other.
Understanding the difference can help you to know which supports to seek for your child.
School attendance in Australia
Last week, new national figures showed school attendance continues to be an issue in Australian schools post-COVID.
In 2024, school attendance rates (the number of days students attend) for Years 1–10 was 88.3%. This is down slightly from 88.6% in 2023. Student attendance levels (the percentage of students who go for more than 90% of the time) was 59.8% in 2024, down from 61.6% in 2023.
In 2019, national attendance rates were 91.4% and attendance levels were 73.1%.
While these reports don’t tell us why the figures are dropping, we know school refusal is a common and growing issue. A 2023 Senate inquiry heard how family requests for support to groups such as School Can’t Australia have almost doubled every year since 2014.
A 2023 Greens-commissioned survey of 1,000 families found 39% said their child had been unable to attend school in the past year because of anxiety or stress.
What is school reluctance?
Sometimes children and young people will not want to go to school but it is not school refusal.
When this is temporary and tied to a specific stressor, such as a test, social conflict, sports lesson or event like a camp or swimming carnival, it can be described as “school reluctance”.
Signs can include clinginess in younger children or teenagers, as well as complaints of seemingly minor ailments such as a tummy ache, headache or “feeling sick”.
In these cases, it is important for parents to validate a child’s feelings. Using phrases such as “I can see you’re nervous about starting a new class” can make children feel seen and heard.
Families should also set up predictable morning routines to help children build self-regulation skills. If you celebrate small wins, such as completing the day, or getting to school on time, you can help boost motivation and confidence.
These early interventions can help avoid escalation into more significant school-related distress.
But at other times, a child’s issues with school are more serious and a child feels overwhelmed by stressors that make attending school feel threatening, unsafe and impossible. This is what is seen as “school refusal”, although some families and researchers are now using the term “school can’t” to reframe the issue and avoid blaming children in these situations.
Some signs this could be happening to your child include:
spending significant portions of the school day in the office or sick bay
extreme difficulty in getting ready in the morning, even with basic tasks such as dressing or making breakfast
physical symptoms such as nausea or dizziness that worsen on school days, but may also be evident on weekends
persistent absences from school, even with encouragement and support
If your child is refusing or can’t go to school, they need your empathy and support. Listen to them and be their advocate. Remember, you know them best. You can also:
seek professional help. A psychologist may help uncover and address the root causes of their distress
work with the school. Talk to teachers and staff about accommodations such as flexible schedules or sensory breaks, and how else they may offer inclusive, affirming and supportive learning environments
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
Rachel Leslie is affiliated with the Queensland Guidance and Counselling Association of Queensland and the Australian Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools association. She is working with family support and advocacy organisation School Can’t Australia as part of her research.
Annette Brömdal receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund; Queensland Mental Health Commission; Queensland Sexual Health Research Fund; the Department of Education, Queensland; and the Australian Association of Gerontology. Annette is affiliated with Lifeline Darling Down and South West QLD Ltd as a volunteer Board Director. She is working with family support and advocacy organisation School Can’t Australia as part of her research.
Cris Townley is working with family support and advocacy organisation School Can’t Australia as part of their research. They are also a member of the the School Can’t Australia support network, and of the advocacy network Parents for Trans Youth Equity (P-TYE).
Glenys Oberg is working with family support and advocacy organisation School Can’t Australia as part of her research.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ritchie Williamson, Director of Research, Associate Professor in Therapeutics, University of Bradford
An inert and unreactive gas may not seem like an obvious candidate for treating Alzheimer’s disease, yet a new study in mice suggests that xenon might just be the breakthrough we need.
Xenon is one of the six noble gases. Its name derives from the Greek word for “strange”. In medicine, it has been used as an anaesthetic since the early 1950s and, more recently, to treat brain injuries. It is also being tested in clinical trials for several conditions including depression and panic disorder.
The new study from Washington University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (the teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School) in the US, has investigated the potential of xenon to treat the brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s.
These changes, which can be found in all brains of people with dementia, include clumps of the proteins amyloid and tau. The connections between neurons, called synapses, are also lost in Alzheimer’s disease and it is these connections between neurons that allow us to think, feel, move and remember.
A final common feature found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s is inflammation. This is the body’s response to injury or disease and triggers the immune response to heal the damaged tissue.
Usually, inflammation disappears once the tissue is healed. In Alzheimer’s, the inflammation does not go away and the immune responses triggered can then damage healthy brain cells.
All of the above changes give rise to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as memory loss, confusion and mood swings.
We don’t know what causes Alzheimer’s disease, but a leading theory suggests that a build up of amyloid triggers the process that then gives rise to the subsequent changes. So targeting amyloid seems like an obvious approach to treating the disease.
Just over two years ago, we learned of the success of one of these treatments called lecanemab in slowing the rate of decline.
The increase in clumps of proteins and the loss of synapses occur over decades, and it remains to be seen if directly targeting a single protein (either amyloid or tau) would be able to halt disease progression or have a measurable effect on all the characteristic harms.
The brain has several types of cell that work together to support brain function. Neurons are the cells responsible for everything – walking, talking, thinking and breathing. Astrocytes provide energy to the neurons as well as structural support and protective functions.
Other important cells found in the brain are microglia. They are immune cells that help remove pathogens and dead cells, among other activities. However, if they are overactive, they can cause chronic inflammation in the brain.
Microglia explained.
Microglia have different states depending on the environment they find themselves in, from an inactive state through to an active state. The difference in these states can be determined both by their appearance and importantly by the functions they perform. For example, active microglia can help clear the accumulated debris, such as unwanted proteins, cells and infections.
The scientists in this latest study used mice that have the same brain changes seen in Alzheimer’s to investigate the role of microglia. A specific active state of microglia that was associated with inflammation was identified. The scientists gave the mice xenon gas to inhale, which changed the state of their microglia.
This altered state allowed the microglia to surround, engulf and destroy amyloid deposits. It also changed the function of these microglia so that they didn’t drive further inflammation.
The researchers also found a reduction in the number and size of amyloid deposits found. All these changes were associated with the altered microglial state.
But what of the other changes seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s? The study also suggested Xenon inhalation could reduce brain shrinkage (a common feature of Alzheimer’s disease) and lead to an increase in support of the connections between neurons. And in all the mice studied, markers of the excessive inflammatory response were reduced.
So, overall, the research suggests that inhaling xenon triggers the active microglia to change from an Alzheimer’s disease-type active state to a pre-Alzheimer’s state. This pre-Alzheimer’s disease state promotes the clearance of amyloid deposits and reduces the cell messengers that cause excessive inflammation.
New hope
There are no drugs that target microglia in Alzheimer’s and inroads have been made in addressing amyloid accumulation. Current drugs aimed at reducing amyloid in the brain offer a modest reduction in amyloid deposits and rate of decline.
Amyloid treatment will improve over time, but what of the other changes that occur in the brain, such as the deposits of tau, brain shrinkage and loss of synapses?
The new research opens up the possibility of targeting a cell type that has the innate potential to affect all of these characteristic harms.
Clinical trials in healthy volunteers are expected to begin this year. If these findings hold up, xenon could offer a completely new approach to this mind-robbing disease. It would be a treatment that doesn’t directly target amyloid, but rather aims to reset the brain’s immune response to counteract all of the disease’s destructive changes. Stranger things have happened.
Ritchie Williamson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By David Amigoni, Professor of Victorian Literature, Editorial Board Chair, Keele University
In Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001), aspiring writer 13-year-old Briony Tallis glimpses a world of opaque “adult emotion”. Holding a pen and blank paper before her, she feels a powerful impulse to write in order to impose order and meaning on adulthood’s slippery uncertainties.
Earlier on that hot summer’s day in 1935, she had witnessed a perplexing scene of seeming “ugly threat”. Her older sister, Cecilia, undressed in front of their cleaning lady’s son (and fellow Cambridge graduate) Robbie Turner. She then plunged, in her underwear, into an ornamental fountain.
Briony’s urge to write is triggered when she reads the private note she had been tasked with delivering from Robbie to Cecilia. Within, she is shocked to discover Robbie’s desire for Cecilia, expressed through use of the unutterable “c” word. Later, looking through the door of their darkened library, Briony mistakenly believes she sees Robbie committing a violent assault on her sister.
This article is part of Rethinking the Classics. The stories in this series offer insightful new ways to think about and interpret classic books, films and artworks. This is the canon – with a twist.
McEwan’s novel presents a privileged English country house setting that descends into a chaos of mistakes, class resentment, educational ambition and sex, expressed both as desire and power. The latter is evident in the rape of Briony’s cousin Lola.
Convinced that she has seen, and now read, the truth about “evil” Robbie’s “disgusting” obsession with her sister, Briony believes he is the culprit. She is confident that her writing will expose a “maniac’s” guilt. However, her urge to write upon the blank page is stronger than her sense of what precisely to say.
In fact, what she writes at this crucial moment – “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly” – feels entirely strange. But just as the old lady of the nursery rhyme fatally bites off ever more that she can chew in swallowing a fly, a spider, a bird, a cat, so Briony’s tragically mistaken ideas about Robbie ends in his incrimination and incarceration.
Robbie is free only when released to fight for the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940. He strives to return to Cecilia via the horrors and heroism of that most resonant of British stories, Dunkirk.
Life stages, ageing and creativity are important themes in Atonement. It is as an older lady writer herself that Briony atones for the incriminating stories that her juvenile writer self swallowed and multiplied.
Putting age and later life front and centre urges the reader to reassess McEwan’s renowned “twist”. That is, the moment readers discover that key scenes in the novel – meetings between Briony, Cecilia and Robbie following the latter’s evacuation from Dunkirk – never happened.
As we are told on the penultimate page, the truth is that Robbie died of septicaemia in the dunes of Dunkirk and Cecilia was killed in the direct hit of a bomb on the Balham tube station in 1940.
At this moment, we realise that what we have been reading is the final draft of the atoning conclusion to a work by now 77-year-old Briony. Like so many late stylists (a writer who, in later life, returns to earlier preoccupations and themes), Briony, an established author with a reputation for “amorality”, revisits her early work on her 77th birthday party. It’s an event that brings her back to the estate of her childhood, now converted into a hotel.
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Briony’s later life shapes the closure of the story, but McEwan’s imaginative engagement with ageing affects every aspect of the novel. He presents readers with story-shaped anticipations of mid- and later life, even when the character will not live to see that age.
Robbie, working-class protégé of Mr Tallis’s educational philanthropy, with a first in English literature from Cambridge, consciously awakens into his unacknowledged love for Cecilia while thinking about his age and future.
The feelings coincide with his developing aspiration to train in medicine, and his imaginary anticipations of his life course.
He thought of himself in 1962, at 50, when he would be old, but not quite old enough to be useless, and of the weathered, knowing doctor he would be by then, with the secret stories, the tragedies and successes stacked behind him”
These will be embodied in books – more writings – “possessed in the thousands”. Briony and Cecilia’s migraine-suffering mother Emily, meanwhile, sees her ageing self grow “stiffer in the limbs and more irrelevant by the day”.
Through the character of Briony, McEwan contests the ageism and invisibility that can be the fate of older women. McEwan may take her to the brink of a terminal neurological decline in 1999 – she is diagnosed with vascular dementia – but Briony resists the othering that ageism imposes on older people: “we may look truly reptilian, but we’re not a separate tribe”.
The end of the novel presents readers with a view of active, meaningful later life as a creative time of collaborative, curatorial story telling.
The older Briony was played by Vanessa Redgrave in the 2007 adaptation of Atonement.
Readers become aware of the “sources” of the dramatic story of Robbie’s trek across northern France in the company of Corporals Mace and Nettle. Seventy-seven-year-old Briony donates the “dozen long letters from old Mr Nettle” to the archives of the Imperial War Museum, where she has been researching.
This act of memory preservation returns readers to the meaning of the horrors, carnage and heroism of the Dunkirk evacuation which McEwan presents through that powerful central episode in the novel. The evacuation of more than 300,000 troops from Dunkirk, including a small proportion of volunteer boats, makes Dunkirk a nationally resonant story.
Briony’s collaborative, later-life storytelling captures the heroism and sacrifice inherent in the perspectives of the wounded evacuee combatants. But so, too, their more sceptical, critical accents.
They “were bitter about the newspaper celebrations of the miracle evacuation and the heroism of the little boats. ‘A fucking shambles,’ she heard one of them mutter.” Or more precisely, the older lady recalled hearing, and then wrote.
Beyond the canon
As part of the Rethinking the Classics series, we’re asking our experts to recommend a book or artwork that tackles similar themes to the canonical work in question, but isn’t (yet) considered a classic itself. Here is David Amigoni’s suggestion:
Paul Bailey, who died in October 2024, was an excellent but under-acknowledged writer who deserves to be more widely read.
His writing went against the grain is subtle ways. He was experimenting with ways of writing about later life at the beginning of his career in 1967, with the publication of At the Jerusalem, set in a home for older women. He was then in his early 30s.
The Prince’s Boy (2014) was written when he was 77 – the same age as McEwan’s fictional Briony Tallis when she completes Atonement. It revisits key themes in Bailey’s earlier work: sexuality (he was a gay man), love, Proust, Romania and Europe.
David Amigoni received funding from RCUK (now UKRI) for his work on ageing and late-life creativity. He is affiliated with The Conversation UK as Chair of its Editorial Board.
Donald Trump’s recent statement describing Gaza as a “demolition site” – and his suggestion to “evacuate” Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt and Jordan to “clean out that whole thing” – has sent shockwaves across the region.
Trump reportedly told journalists travelling with him on Air Force One at the weekend that he had spoken with King Abdullah of Jordan and planned to talk with Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” he said.
He added that relocating Palestinian civilians to “some of the Arab nations, and build[ing] housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change” could be “done temporarily or could be long term”.
But it has been widely criticised across the region as a potential “second Nakba” – referring to the violence and displacement of Palestinians after Israel’s unilateral declaration of statehood in 1948. The proposal has also been outright rejected by Egypt and Jordan. It has also been strongly condemned by the Palestinians.
It remains unclear to what extent this aligns with US policy and diplomacy, but such rhetoric risks undermining the pivotal regional diplomatic efforts. These efforts, led by Qatar and Egypt in close coordination with Washington, are focused on continuing the negotiations on the ceasefire, monitoring progress, and verifying compliance.
So it’s far from certain if this is an official US policy position or another example of the US president simply airing his thoughts. But what is clear is that his latest pronouncement will further complicate the ceasefire deal agreed on January 17.
The deal already faces significant challenges and uncertainties, not least the mutual distrust between the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships. History tells us that this lack of trust has developed, in part, because of the numerous times ceasefires have been used for purposes other than pursuing long-term settlement, such as opportunities to regroup, rearm or reposition strategically.
So the staged nature of the current deal carries considerable risks, as it creates opportunities for “spoilers” on both sides to derail the process. The recent violence of Jewish settlers on the West Bank and Hamas’s active encouragement of confrontation there are other examples of things that could derail the ceasefire.
The negotiation process is further complicated by dynamics tied to the political survival of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. One party (Jewish Power) has already left his coalition government in protest against the ceasefire. Meanwhile the leader of the Religious Zionist party, Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to do the same if the military operation against Hamas is not resumed.
Hamas, in turn, has attempted to reassert its control in Gaza. We’ve seen examples of that during the hostage exchange process when Hamas fighters conspicuously present at the handovers. Hamas may have been severely weakened, but it still controls significant parts of Gaza’s bureaucracy and policing and wants the world to know it.
Challenges ahead
If any part of the agreement falters there is a substantial risk that each side will blame the other of breaching the terms of the ceasefire. Two of the most contentious issues in the second phase are determining who will govern Gaza and how to implement a full Israeli withdrawal.
While Israel continues its security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, it vehemently opposes any PA role in Gaza. There is also considerable doubt as to whether Israel will agree to any long-term solution which involves complete withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Gaza.
The recent resignation of the IDF’s chief of staff Herzl Halevi, as he took responsibility for the IDF’s failures on October 7, has further destabilised the political and military dynamics in Israel. A lot will depend on his successor.
Recent geopolitical shifts have reshaped regional dynamics. This presents challenges and opportunities for any diplomatic initiatives surrounding Israel and Palestine. The weakening of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance”, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon – and the now-collapsed Assad regime in Syria – may provide an opportunity for the normalisation of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
This in turn will offer an opportunity to reshape the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. This potential breakthrough builds on the Abraham accords, which was one of Trump’s foreign policy initiatives. It’s a transactional approach to diplomacy, which prioritises pragmatic and results-oriented negotiations.
The new US Middle East envoy, former real estate developer Steve Witkoff, has emphasised “courageous diplomacy”, as well as strong leadership and what he called “reciprocal actions” from the parties to the peace deal. Whether the new US administration will revive the 2020 Trump plan for a Palestinian state remains uncertain.
That plan proposed granting 70% of the West Bank and Gaza to Palestinians while allowing Israel to retain sovereignty over Jerusalem. It also included US approval for Israeli annexation of territories with Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
For Israel, normalisation with Saudi Arabia would be a major diplomatic victory. Washington is playing a crucial role here, offering incentives such as sale of advanced American weapons systems to Riyadh. But Saudi Arabia has reportedly demanded concrete steps toward establishing a Palestinian state as part of the deal. Trump’s latest gambit, if it becomes official US policy, would make that a non-starter.
Karin Aggestam has received research funding from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Australian Reseach Council, Wallenberg Foundation and others.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Harrison, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Finance, University of East London
Addressing the climate crisis was one of the key themes at the World Economic Forum in Davos.Rustam Zagidullin/Shutterstock
Every year, leaders from politics and business come together with economists, investors and even celebrities at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos. One of the five key themes of this year’s event was safeguarding the planet. The forum’s own figures suggest that human-caused climate change has cost the planet US$3.6 trillion (£2.9 trillion) in damage since 2000 alone.
Many of the sessions at Davos focused on climate change, which was especially pertinent after US president Donald Trump’s decision to abandon for a second time the Paris Agreement – a framework to keep the warming of the planet to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
In an online address to Davos delegates, Trump even argued that the oil-producers’ group Opec should reduce the price of oil. This is in stark contrast to the views of many other governments – exemplified by UK energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband’s assertion that net zero is “unstoppable”.
But one of the less discussed elements of the path to net-zero by the year 2050 (a key target to keep the Paris Agreement on track) is the role of the financial sector.
As economists, we believe that banks and financial institutions should play a key role in making the green transition happen. Companies that produce goods and services will need to invest in equipment and technology – either to make new greener products or to ensure that they pollute less.
But this will cost money – likely money that firms do not actually have on their balance sheet or under their mattress. When banks assist in providing funding for this type of investment, it is known as green finance.
Green finance from banks can take two forms. Either the banks underwrite corporate bonds, which means they sell bonds to investors in exchange for a fee. Or they become involved in the provision of a syndicated loan, which is when they collaborate with other banks to lend money.
But both options are constrained by the rule that a bank will only provide finance out of self-interest. This means they act only when the profit they earn is proportional to the credit risk they take on. But this was in contrast to the message from Davos that businesses should take the lead, with the aid of finance from banks, in mitigating the risks of climate change.
With easier access to finance, more firms could invest in innovative ways to go green like this car park with inbuilt solar panels in Leeds. Clare Louise Jackson/Shutterstock
Sources of credit for businesses to make green investments include philanthropists, public finance and the private sector (that is, commercial banks). However, it is arguable that charity and public money are best used in partnership with private banks, to finance projects that are perceived high risk and low return. Banks alone would not support these because of their promotion of self-interest.
However, philanthropy can be limited and inconsistent in providing funds for green projects. And the public sector has so many demands on its purse that its ability to support is also limited. This is where the private sector plays a key role in mitigating climate change and where partnerships between these three sectors could offer a way forward.
This pathway was discussed at Davos but the speakers were not clear on what effective partnerships would look like. As academics who have researched the factors that influence green finance provision across multiple European countries, we would suggest a partnership structure between the public sector and the private sector, based on risk-sharing.
In these cases where banks perceive the risk to be unbearable (and therefore not in their self-interest), governments could partner with banks in offering finance and so share the consequences of a bad project outcome. In other words, they would form a partnership with the bank to share the downside risk.
A bank may consider an investment to be higher risk where a project has less certain outcomes, or requires funding for a longer period of time. Both of these factors are comparatively common in green financing deals. This could be because a firm is investing in new or untested tech or production methods – for example car manufacturers exploring new electric vehicle battery technologies.
The struggle for smaller businesses
This partnership approach could especially benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up 99% of Europe’s companies. But these businesses can struggle to access finance from banks due to their lack of capital, which can make banks see them as a high risk. And this of course is challenging for SMEs, which mostly have no other sources of external finance.
Research shows that medium-sized firms often rely on loans for finance. Our work focuses on how companies in Europe and the UK source green financing. It has highlighted that larger companies, as well as more liquid and more profitable firms, tend to raise finance via bonds (issued by banks and bought by investors) rather than loans (from a bank or other financial institution).
In fact, our research shows that in some European countries (including Latvia, Malta and Romania), domestic banks have no record whatsoever of providing green finance to companies.
This means it is much easier for larger businesses to get green finance compared to their smaller peers. And smaller companies tend to obtain relatively lower amounts of green financing, creating a real risk that SMEs may not get what they need in order to play their part in reducing their emissions.
Without a significant shift in allowing SMEs to get the finance they need to become greener, governments will struggle to get close to their net-zero goals. But, along with financial regulators, governments could lead the way to create partnerships with banks and other financial institutions to overcome the barriers that SMEs face.
Sharing the risk would ensure banks continue their green lending activities and accelerate progress toward meeting government climate targets.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Record-breaking crowds at the Australian Open have served up a welcome spending boost to Melbourne’s economy with accommodation the big winner over the last fortnight.
International tourists and domestic visitors booked out hotels, motels and serviced apartments, spending more than $111 million on accommodation across Melbourne. Accommodation group Ascott Australasia highlighted a 16% jump in demand during the 2025 tournament.
Transaction data from Australia’s largest business bank, NAB, reveals a grand slam in consumer spending over the fortnight:
More than $275 million was spent at Melbourne’s pubs, bars and restaurants over the fortnight.
Melbourne’s bars experienced a 3% uplift in spending compared to the 2024 Australian Open.
Businesses immediately surrounding the Melbourne Park precinct experienced a $74 million spending injection, up 2% on last year.
Clothing and apparel spending at businesses surrounding Melbourne Park was up by 3% year on year.
NAB Business Banking Executive Julie Rynski said the Australian Open’s marquee event status drove positive economic benefits across the inner city and surrounds.
“Visitors from interstate and overseas flock to Melbourne for the tennis and take the opportunity to enjoy the best of the city’s vibrant culinary and cultural scene over the fortnight,” Ms Rynski said.
“We’re seeing crowd records broken and consumer spending growing year-on-year, cementing the event’s status as an all-important launchpad for businesses into the year ahead.
“The continued growth in spending translates to a real vibe which you can see and feel with booked out eateries and hotels, packed pubs and bars, lines for take away coffee and busier taxis and public transport.
“Major events like the Australian Open not only generate direct spending but also create a ripple effect with flow through benefits for the wider economy, retailers, transport services and tourism operators.
“This is a welcome boost to businesses given cost-of-living concerns. It’s clear people are making thoughtful spending changes through the year to save up, visit Melbourne and enjoy the city and the tennis,” Ms Rynski said.
Managing Director, Ascott Australasia and Chair of Accommodation Australia David Mansfield said the tournament was a boom for accommodation providers.
“The Australian Open has once again proven to be a transformative event for Melbourne’s hospitality and accommodation sectors, driving occupancy rates to record levels and surpassing the strong demand seen in previous years,” Mr Mansfield said.
Ascott’s Melbourne properties which include Quest Apartment Hotels, Citadines on Bourke, Oakwood Premier, and lyf Collingwood experienced a significant 16% increase in demand during this year’s tournament. Additionally, revenue per available room (RevPAR) saw a 13% increase compared to 2024, underscoring the event’s growing significance in driving revenue for the accommodation sector.
“The Australian Open doesn’t just fill hotels; it powers the entire tourism ecosystem. Every visitor who arrives in Melbourne spends on local bars, restaurants, attractions, and small businesses,” Mr Mansfield said.
“For the accommodation industry specifically, the event has highlighted the vital role our sector plays in supporting large-scale tourism and economic growth.
“As Chair of Accommodation Australia, I am thrilled to see how events like the Australian Open highlight the resilience, importance, and potential of the hospitality and tourism sectors.
“With each passing year, the Australian Open continues to grow in scale and influence. Its success reminds us of the importance of ongoing investment destination marketing, infrastructure, workforce development, and collaborative efforts between industry and government to ensure the tourism and accommodation sectors thrive well into the future,” Mr Mansfield said.
Notes to editors
* Estimates taken from spend at NAB merchant terminals surrounding Melbourne Park and across Melbourne between 12 January and 26 January 2025.
Pre-settlement data has been used to indicate trends and % movements. Final, exact figures are subject to change.
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Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
PARIS, France, January 27, 2025/APO Group/ —
Jérôme Bertheau, Executive Vice President – Global Projects at BW Energy, will speak at the Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2025 Forum, set to take place May 13-14 in Paris. Bertheau’s participation underscores the company’s commitment to advancing Africa’s energy sector through innovative developments and strategic investments.
BW Energy is making significant strides in Africa’s energy landscape, particularly in Gabon, where the company is enhancing production at the Dussafu field through advanced recovery techniques. Last October, the company signed PSCs for the Niosi Marin and Guduma Marin offshore exploration blocks in partnership with Panoro Energy and VAALCO Energy. These agreements include drilling one well in the Niosi Marin block during the exploration phase, alongside plans for a 3D seismic acquisition campaign. BW Energy aims to complete the first phase of Hibiscus and Ruche development and bring production to a nameplate capacity of 40,000 barrels per day.
IAE 2025 (www.Invest-Africa-Energy.com)is an exclusive forum designed to facilitate investment between African energy markets and global investors. Taking place May 13-14, 2025 in Paris, the event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, please visitwww.Invest-Africa-Energy.com.To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contactsales@energycapitalpower.com.
In addition to its activities in Gabon, BW Energy is making progress in Namibia with plans to drill a well on the Kharas prospect offshore, northwest of the Kudu Formation. The company has secured long-lead items and is in discussions with other operators for rig capacity, with drilling expected to begin in the second half of 2025. Furthermore, BW Energy has completed the processing of a PSDM 3D dataset over the offshore Kudu gas field and is advancing its development planning for the proposed Kudu gas-to-power project. The company is also progressing its Maromba oilfield development in Brazil, with a final investment decision expected in early 2025.
Bertheau’s participation at IAE 2025 highlights BW Energy’s commitment to innovation and its focus on maximizing the value of its African assets while promoting local content and sustainable development. The company’s involvement underscores its position as a leading energy player, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and strategic partnerships to drive growth across its portfolio.
he Secretary-General notes with concern the announcement of a pause in US foreign assistance.
The Secretary-General calls for additional exemptions to be considered to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support.
The Secretary-General looks forward to engaging with the new United States administration on the provision of much needed development support to people grappling with the most difficult challenges confronting the developing world. The United States is one of the largest aid providers and it is vital that we work constructively to jointly shape a strategic path forward.
Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
Resolution comes after Trump pardons 1,500 Jan 6 insurrectionists—including those convicted of violently assaulted police officers
The senators will seek unanimous consent to pass the resolution this week
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and 44 of their colleagues introduced a new resolution condemning the pardons of individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers. The resolution follows the move by President Trump, on the first day of his second term, to grant full, complete, and unconditional pardons to over 1,500 people charged with committing crimes in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and to commute the sentences of 14 others, including leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, far-right militias. Among those pardoned by Trump were 169 people who pled guilty to assaulting police officers on January 6th. During the siege of the Capitol that day, over 80 U.S. Capitol Police Officers were assaulted, as well as over 60 officers from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
The senators’ resolution, Condemning the pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers, simply states: “Resolved, That the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.” This week, Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will seek unanimous consent on the Senate floor to pass the resolution.
“President Trump is pardoning violent criminals who assaulted police officers and attempted to overturn a fair and free election,” said Senator Cortez Masto.“This is an insult to law enforcement across the country and an endorsement of political violence. The very least my Republican colleagues can do to back law enforcement is to support this resolution.”
“It’s unconscionable that one of President Trump’s first actions in office was to pardon criminals who violently attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021,” said Senator Rosen. “A number of these convicted felons attacked police officers and injured them. It should not be a partisan issue to fully condemn these actions and President Trump’s pardons.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, approximately 1,572 defendants have been federally charged with crimes associated with the attack of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. This includes approximately 598 charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder, including approximately 171 defendants charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer. As proven in Court, the weapons used and carried on Capitol grounds during the January 6th attack include firearms; OC spray; tasers; edged weapons, including a sword, axes, hatchets, and knives; and makeshift weapons, such as destroyed office furniture, fencing, bike racks, stolen riot shields, baseball bats, hockey sticks, flagpoles, PVC piping, and reinforced knuckle gloves.
The full text of the resolution can be found here.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The Secretary-General notes with concern the announcement of a pause in United States foreign assistance.
The Secretary-General calls for additional exemptions to be considered to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support.
The Secretary-General looks forward to engaging with the new United States administration on the provision of much-needed development support to people grappling with the most difficult challenges confronting the developing world. The United States is one of the largest aid providers and it is vital that we work constructively to jointly shape a strategic path forward.
ollowing a two-week mobilization to Southern California to assist with the wildfire response, 17 of Oregon’s 21 strike teams will soon be heading home. The teams began the demobilization process Thursday morning. Two of the strike teams will start their drive back to Oregon on Thursday, while the remaining 15 will begin their journey to their home agencies on Friday.
These strike teams were assigned to the Palisades and Eaton fires near Los Angeles and have spent the last two weeks working the fire lines and supporting the communities impacted by these disasters. In total, the Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized 21 strike teams, 370 firefighters, and 105 fire engines and water tenders, marking the largest out-of-state deployment in the agency’s history.
“I am immensely proud of the work firefighters from the Oregon fire service and the Oregon Department of Forestry have done over the last two weeks in California,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “Their dedication and professionalism have made a meaningful difference for the communities affected by these devastating fires. The willingness of our firefighters to step up and provide critical aid, often in challenging and dangerous conditions, is a testament to the strength and resilience of Oregon’s fire service.”
The Oregon State Fire Marshal has four remaining strike teams in California, two assigned to the Eaton Fire and two assigned to support initial attack efforts if any new fires start. There is no timeline yet for when the remaining strike teams will return to Oregon.
The strike teams sent to California by the State Fire Marshal were requested through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. This compact provides help during governor-declared emergencies or disasters by allowing states to send personnel, equipment, and supplies to support response and recovery efforts in other states. The strike teams’ expenses will be reimbursed directly by California.
Two Ukrainian nationals who were extradited from the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States in September 2024 were sentenced today on charges related to labor-staffing companies they operated in Florida. Oleg Oliynyk and Oleksandr Yurchyk were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and others owned and operated a series of labor-staffing companies in South Florida — including Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC and Tropical City Group LLC — from at least April 2008 and August 2021. Through these staffing companies, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and co-defendants Oleksandr Morgunov, Mykhaylo Chugay and Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk facilitated the employment of non-resident aliens in the hospitality industry who were not authorized to work in the United States and helped evade the assessment and collection of more than $25 million of federal income and employment taxes.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ordered Oliynyk and Yurchyk to each serve three years of supervised release, pay $10,863,233.05 in restitution to the United States and to forfeit $11 million.
Oliynyk and Yurchyk are the latest defendants sentenced as part of Operation RoomKey, a joint criminal investigation initiative led by the Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Co-defendant Chugay, was convicted at trial in June 2022, and was sentenced in August 2022 to more than 24 years in prison. Co-defendants Morgunov and Ogorodnychuk each pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 96 months in prison and 48 months in prison, respectively.
In March 2022, Mikus Berzins, former City of Key West Police Officer Igor Kasyanenko, Roman Riabov and Andrejs Kozlovs each pleaded guilty to their crimes in the operation of the labor staffing company, Phoenix ADB Services Inc. (Phoenix ADB), which, according to court records, facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization.
In May 2022, the court sentenced Igor Kasyanenko and Riabov to 22 months and 18 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the tax and immigration conspiracy. The court also sentenced Berzins and Kozlovs to 28 months and 12 months in prison, respectively, for knowingly hiring ten or more aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States. Later, in September 2023, Nataliya Vasylivna Kasyanenko, a former housekeeping manager at a large Key West hotel, was sentenced for participating in the tax and immigration conspiracy related to the operation of Phoenix ADB.
Batyr Myatiev, the owner and operator of two labor staffing companies, AmeriHos LLC and Golden Sands Management LLC, pleaded guilty in March 2023 and was sentenced in June 2023 to 32 months in prison. According to court records, Myatiev’s labor staffing companies caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million and facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization.
In July 2023, Eka Samadashvili and Davit Pavliashvili were sentenced for their respective roles in the operation of several labor staffing companies, including PSEB Services JD Inc., Paradise Hospitality Solutions LLC, Paradise Hospitality Group LLC, Paradise Hospitality Inc. and HBSM Corp. According to court records, these labor staffing companies caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $8.4 million and facilitated the employment of non-resident aliens in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere who were not authorized to work in the United States.
Finally, in March 2024, Petr Sutka was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in operating a series of labor staffing companies — including PSEB Specialty Service Inc., Perfect Service Excellent Benefits Services Inc., Starline Hospitality Inc., Norbert Janitorial Service Inc., E.S.F. Services Inc. and Expert Services F.S. Inc. — which, according to court records, caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million and facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization. In April 2024, Sutka’s co-defendants, Zdenek Strnad and Vasil Khatiashvili, were each sentenced to more than three years, respectively, for their roles in the tax and immigration conspiracy.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Michael S. Davis for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.
HSI and IRS-CI are investigating the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft, Matthew C. Hicks and Wilson Rae Stamm of the Tax Division and Senior Litigation Counsel Chris Clark for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
An indictment was unsealed last week charging a New Jersey return preparer with preparing and filing 55 false income tax returns on behalf of clients and obstructing the IRS.
According to the indictment, from at least 2018 through 2023, Christopher Demba, of Hillsborough, owned and operated Demba & Associates CPA LLC, a return preparation business. Demba allegedly prepared returns for clients that claimed false deductions, credit carryforwards or fraudulently recategorized income to claim expenses that would otherwise be disallowed. The indictment further alleges that Demba obstructed the IRS by providing false working papers to IRS personnel in an attempt to justify some of the claims made on returns he prepared for clients.
If convicted, Demba faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and Alexis Hughes of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“The Walkbury Map: Explore partner businesses and enjoy exclusive discounts with a valid UConn or OLLI ID. Designed by Airey Lau.”
Last fall, UConn Waterbury launched Walkbury, an innovative program designed to harmonize the campus community with the vibrant culture, history, and businesses of downtown Waterbury. The initiative encourages students, staff, faculty, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) members to explore the city’s unique offerings and deepen their connection to the local community.
This program is part of the larger Ideas + Impact initiative, which also launched last fall thanks to a generous donation from UConn Waterbury alumnus Mike Peluso (Business ’99). Ideas + Impact supports student-initiated and campus-initiated social impact projects, empowering students to make meaningful contributions to their communities. Walkbury embodies the spirit of Ideas + Impact by fostering engagement, building connections, and creating opportunities for learning and growth.
“Ideas + Impact is about giving students the tools to make a difference, and Walkbury is a perfect example of that mission in action,” said Peluso. “It’s rewarding to see how UConn Waterbury is inspiring students to engage with their community in meaningful ways.”
A Semester of Engagement and Exploration
“UConn Waterbury students enjoy local flavors at Grand Street Tavern. Photo by Steve Bustamante, UConn Library”
Over the fall semester, Walkbury hosted four (and more to come!) food and cultural tours in partnership with Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Main Street Waterbury that brought the UConn community directly into the heart of downtown Waterbury. The tours, held during lunch hours and morning coffee meetups, offered opportunities to visit local landmarks, enjoy the city’s culinary delights, and hear from community leaders including alumni.
The food tours featured stops at popular eateries, including Seven Villages, Grand Street Tavern, and Nature’s Love Juice Bar, where participants sampled delicious offerings while meeting business owners. These events provided a taste of what downtown has to offer and underscored the importance of supporting local businesses.
Adding depth to the experience, UConn Waterbury emeritus faculty member Ruth Glasser led the historical and cultural components of the tours. Participants learned about Waterbury’s architectural gems, including City Hall and the iconic clock tower inspired by Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy.
“UConn Waterbury students learn about the city’s history from emeritus professor Ruth Glasser. Photo by Steve Bustamante, UConn Library”“UConn Waterbury students engage in a discussion with Mayor Pernerewski at City Hall. Photo by Steve Bustamante, UConn Library”
During the tours, Mayor Paul Pernerewski welcomed the group at City Hall, sharing insights on the city’s ongoing revitalization and hosting a Q&A session focused on career development and civic engagement.
The tours also drew the attention of prominent Connecticut leaders, including State Senator Joan Hartley and State Representative Geraldo Reyes, who joined participants to emphasize the significance of community involvement and partnership.
“This program is about more than walking tours or discounts,” said Dr. Fumiko Hoeft, dean and chief administrative officer of UConn Waterbury. “It’s about fostering understanding and building harmony between UConn and the community. Walkbury is a natural extension of Ideas + Impact, as both aim to inspire students and encourage them to engage meaningfully with the world around them.”
Community and Collaboration
At its heart, Walkbury is about creating meaningful connections. Through partnerships with local businesses, participants receive exclusive discounts upon presenting a valid UConn or OLLI ID. These collaborations encouraged the UConn community to explore downtown, discover new favorites, and contribute to the local economy.
Lynn Ward, president and CEO of the Waterbury Regional Chamber, applauded the initiative: “Programs like Walkbury not only drive business but also create lasting relationships between the campus and the city. We’re thrilled to see so many UConn members engaging with downtown.”
Spirit Café Opens to All
One of the highlights of the Walkbury initiative was the public opening of Spirit Café, located in the Rectory Building next to the Palace Theater. Previously available only to UConn students and staff, the café now serves as a welcoming space for both the campus and local community to gather over breakfast and lunch.
“The Spirit Café represents what Walkbury is all about,” said Hoeft. “It’s a space where people from all walks of life can connect, share ideas, and enjoy great food in the heart of downtown.”
Celebrating Waterbury’s Charm
From cozy cafes to cultural landmarks, Walkbury celebrates Waterbury as a city of rich history and vibrant culture. By offering students, faculty, staff, and OLLI members the chance to explore and engage with the city, the initiative highlights what makes Waterbury unique and fosters a sense of belonging for all UConn members.
Mayor Pernerewski praised the program, stating, “Walkbury is an excellent example of how a university and a city can work together to build community. It’s about making sure every UConn member feels at home here in Waterbury.”
Looking Ahead
With a successful first semester under its belt, Walkbury is poised to continue its mission of fostering harmony between UConn Waterbury and the downtown community. As part of the broader Ideas + Impact initiative, the program will continue to empower students and the entire UConn Waterbury community to engage with the city and make a lasting difference.
For more information or to share ideas for collaboration, email walkbury@uconn.edu or contact Heather Price at 203-236-9846.
Through Walkbury and Ideas + Impact, UConn Waterbury is creating bridges between campus and community, showing that when we walk together, we grow together.
On Dec. 3, 2024, at approximately 4:42 p.m., Cold Lake RCMP were called to an attempted child abduction at a restaurant located on 50h Street in Cold Lake South.
Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that a female suspect had entered the establishment, approached the child, and picked them up from their chair. The suspect then attempted to leave with the child but was stopped when the family intervened and regained custody of the child.
The suspect then fled the area. Through active patrols, Cold Lake RCMP officers was able to locate and arrest the suspect.
A 30-year-old individual, a resident of Cold Lake, has been charged with the following offence:
Abduction of a person under 14
The individual was brought before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 5, 2024, at the Alberta Court of Justice in St. Paul, Alta.
On Jan. 4, 2025, at approximately 8 p.m., Wood Buffalo RCMP responded to a complaint of a physical altercation and possible stabbing at MacDonald Island Park, located at 1 C.A. Knight Way, in downtown Fort McMurray, Alta. The altercation occurred near the fitness gym on the second floor of the facility and was witnessed by a large group of people. A 41-year-old male was found suffering from a stab wound to the shoulder as a result of the altercation. He was transported by ground ambulance to Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in non-life-threatening condition.
A 17-year-old individual, a resident of Fort McMurray was arrested and is facing charges:
Aggravated assault
Possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose
Carrying a concealed weapon
The individual, who cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was held for a judicial interim hearing. The individual was released from police custody on a release order with conditions.
The individual is set to appear next in the Alberta Court of Justice – Fort McMurray on Jan. 21, 2025.
While the RCMP investigation into the incident is continuing, the incident is not believed to be a random act of violence. Wood Buffalo RCMP are aware that multiple bystanders took videos of the incident and are looking to obtain those videos. RCMP are asking anyone who has not previously spoken with them to contact Wood Buffalo RCMP at (780) 788‐4040.
RCMP encourage the public to report any criminal or suspicious activity to police. Reports tell us where to look, who to look for, and where to patrol in the future. If you see a crime in progress, dial 911. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
Following reports of a disturbance at a cabin area near South Brook, known as West Bottom, on January 24, 2025, 41-year-old Matthew Burton was arrested by Springdale RCMP. He is charged with arson and a number of other criminal offences.
Burton allegedly damaged a neighbouring property using his truck and further used his truck to block access to another neighbour’s driveway, while continually sounding the vehicle’s alarm system. Further to this, Burton allegedly cut down a property’s fence and lit it on fire.
Upon police arrival, Burton ignored officers’ commands and ran into a residence. He was arrested inside the home where officers located and seized a loaded shotgun and additional ammunition that was improperly stored and readily available.
Burton is charged with the following criminal offences:
Mischief under $5000.00 – damage to property – two counts
Mischief – obstructing the lawful enjoyment to property
Arson – damage to property
Unsafe storage of a firearm
Resisting/Obstructing a peace officer
He attended court on January 25 and was held in custody. He appears in court today for a bail hearing.
The Central Bank of Iceland Resolution Authority announced today that a resolution plan for Kvika has been approved and thereby a decision on the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) for the bank, in accordance with the Act on Resolution of Credit Institutions and Investment Firms, no. 70/2020.
According to the Resolution Authority’s decision, Kvika’s MREL requirements are 22.0% of Total Risk Exposure Amount (MREL-TREA) and 6.0% of Total Exposure Measure (MREL-TEM). The decision is effective from the date of the announcement, and the bank is already considered to meet the MREL requirements.
For further information, please contact Kvika’s Investor Relations at ir@kvika.is or by phone at +354 540 3200.
Kowloon, Hong Kong, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CTRL Group Limited (the “Company”) (NasdaqCM: MCTR), an integrated marketing and advertising services provider in Hong Kong specializing in mobile games promotion for the local market, today announced that R.F. Lafferty & Co., Inc., which acted as the representative of the underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), has exercised the full over-allotment option and purchased an additional 300,000 ordinary shares of the Company at the IPO price of $4.00 per share. As a result, the Company has raised an aggregate of $9.2 million in gross proceeds, before underwriting discounts and other related expenses, through the issuance of a total of 2,300,000 ordinary shares in the IPO.
R.F. Lafferty & Co., Inc. acted as the representative of the underwriters, with Revere Securities LLC acting as co-underwriter (collectively, the “Underwriters”) for the Offering. The Crone Law Group, P.C. served as counsel to the Company. VCL Law LLP served as counsel to the Underwriters.
A Registration Statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-277979) (the “Registration Statement”), was previously filed with and subsequently declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 31, 2024. The Offering was made only by means of a prospectus, forming a part of the Registration Statement. A final prospectus relating to the Offering was filed with the SEC on January 22, 2025, and is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, electronic copies of the prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from R.F. Lafferty & Co., Inc. at 40 Wall Street, 27th Floor New York, NY 10005, or by telephone at +212.293.9090.
This press release has been prepared for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About CTRL Group Limited
The Company’s wholly owned subsidiary and operating company, CTRL Group Limited, is an integrated marketing and advertising services provider in Hong Kong specializing in mobile games promotion for the local market. The Company provides services to mobile game developers, principally developers of mobile gaming applications or “apps” that gamers download from the developers’ websites and applicable mobile operating systems, such as Apple Store or Android Google Play Store. The market for specialized mobile game advertising in Hong Kong is occupied by a few market players who compete with one another. The Company’s prominent market share and proven track record are indicative of its audience reach and engagement, as well as its relevance to advertisers in Hong Kong markets. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://www.ctrl-media.com/
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the Offering will be successfully completed. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and in its other filings with the SEC.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Relations CTRL Group Limited Phone: +852-3107-4887 Email: project@ctrl-media.com
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mage Data™ has announced the promotion of Krishnan Cheerath to the position of Vice President of Products. In this new capacity, Krishnan will lead the company’s product vision and strategy – balancing immediate market needs with future-proofing against emerging regulatory requirements and technological advancements to ensure that the product strategy aligns with the overall vision.
Since joining Mage Data in 2017, Krishnan has held positions of increasing responsibility and authority first as a Project Manager and then a Product Manager. His contributions to product strategy and delivery led to his promotion to Director of Product Design in 2023, where he helped to lead the development of the world’s first conversational user interface for a test data management platform for enhanced user experience. During his tenure, he has built an extensive portfolio of innovative product designs with an approach that has helped shaped Mage Data’s ahead-of-the-market offerings. Mage Data looks forward to his continuing to play a pivotal role in shaping the Company’s product vision and strategy as a part of Vision 26 – towards building an increasingly AI-driven solution that shifts the paradigm from being a traditional software solution to a Service-As-A-Software™ model that can serve as a powerful ally helping enterprises navigate complex data security challenges.
Krishnan completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Trichy in 2017 and subsequently completed the Product Strategy course at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. This program helped refine essential skills in product lifecycle management, opportunity assessment, and agile methodologies. Krishnan’s skillset bridges the gap between market needs and the capabilities of rapidly changing technologies and makes him uniquely suited for Mage Data’s culture of innovation and market leadership.
“Krishnan has been a cornerstone of our company’s growth and development,” said Padma Vemuri, Senior Vice President and Chief Solutions Architect at Mage Data. “His promotion is a testament not only to his long hours and commitment to the customer’s needs, but also to the promising future we envision together as he steps into executive leadership. I’m excited about the innovative directions Krishnan will guide us towards, strengthening our offerings and elevating our brand.”
Paula Capps, Chief Operating Officer, added “This promotion exemplifies Mage Data’s commitment to professional growth and development for our team. Hard work, a commitment to excellence, and visionary thinking is valued at Mage Data. Krishnan is an essential member of the team, and we are pleased that he’s taking on more and more responsibility.”
“My time at Mage Data has been an incredible professional journey,” Krishnan Cheerath said. “I am deeply honoured and excited to assume the role of Vice President and embrace the challenges and responsibilities that come with it. I am committed to fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration within our teams as we strive to achieve our shared goals.”
About Mage Data:
Mage Data is globally recognized as a premier provider of comprehensive enterprise data security solutions, dedicated to serving organizations with sophisticated data protection mechanisms, intricate discovery techniques, and robust compliance capabilities. Our integrated platform is designed to safeguard sensitive information while ensuring uninterrupted business operations. recognized as a Champion in Test Data Management and a leader in data masking by leading analysts, Mage Data’s patented and award-winning platform enables organizations to navigate privacy regulations while ensuring robust security. The company’s client roster includes Swiss banks, Fortune 10 companies, Ivy League universities, and leaders in the financial and healthcare sectors—all of whom rely on Mage Data’s platform for effective data privacy and security solutions. With industry-leading privacy-enhancing technologies designed to secure sensitive information, Mage Data continues to deliver robust data security while ensuring that essential data assets remain accessible for everyday business use. For further details about Mage Data’s solutions, please visit www.magedata.ai or contact us via email at info@magedata.ai.
Media Contact: Deeksha Surya 3 Columbus Circle, 15th Floor New York, NY 10019 Telephone: +1 212 203 4365 Email: info@magedata.ai
La Perouse is a biennial, multilateral exercise demonstrating a shared commitment to enhance regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
This exercise is designed to advance maritime security in the region through maritime surveillance, interdiction, and air operations through progressive training and information sharing.
This exercise provided an opportunity for U.S. and allied and partner navies, who have shared values, fulfill maritime integration training objectives by emphasizing collaboration, warfighting, and readiness in a dynamic theater, resulting in enhanced maritime security and continued deterrence.
“USS Savannah’s opportunity to operate with our foreign partners this week was exciting. The French and American navies have shared priorities and an enduring mission in the Indo-Pacific,” said Capt. Matt Scarlett, commodore, Destroyer Squadron 7. “Our ability to conduct consistent bilateral operations, conduct information sharing, and participate in realistic scenarios at sea, increases our interoperability as a joint force and ensures sustained maritime security in the region.”
Named after an 18th-century French naval officer and explorer, La Perouse reflects longstanding values and a shared commitment to maritime security with like-minded nations.
The French Navy Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group is represented by their aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91). Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group is operating in the Indo-Pacific as part of their Clemenceau 25 deployment.
“We welcome the opportunity to operate alongside the French navy, our friend and longtime ally, out here in the Indo-Pacific,” said Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “Their exercise La Perouse underscores the value our European allies place on this critical maritime region, and we look forward to advancing interoperability at sea between our forces.”
Additional participating units included Royal Australian Navy’s Hobart Class guided missile destroyers HMAS Hobart (DDG 39); Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341); the Indian Navy’s Delhi-class guided-missile destroyers INS Mumbai (D 62); Royal Malaysian Navy’s Lekiu-class guided missile frigate FFG Lekir (FFG 30) and Gagah Samudera-class training ship KD Gagah Samudera (271); Royal Navy of the United Kingdom’s River-class off-shore patrol vessel HMS Spey (P 234); and Republic of Singapore Navy’s Independence-class littoral mission vessel RSS Independence (15)
As the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed DESRON in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, functions as Expeditionary Strike Group 7’s Sea Combat Commander and builds partnerships through training and exercises and military-to military engagements.
U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
President Donald Trump has begun to radically change how the U.S. government handles immigration, from challenging long-held legal concepts about who gets citizenship to using the military to transport migrants back to their countries of origin.
Trump’s administration is doing more than reshaping the approach of the federal government toward migrants: It has now ordered state and local officials to comply with all federal immigration laws, including any new executive orders. It has warned that if those officials refuse, it may criminally prosecute them.
The specter of a federal prosecutor putting a city’s mayor or a state’s governor in jail will raise what may be the greatest source of conflict in the U.S. Constitution. That conflict is how much power the federal government can wield over the states, a long-standing and unresolved dispute that will move again to the front and center of American politics and, in all likelihood, into American courtrooms.
A sign prohibiting the entry of ICE or Homeland Security personnel is posted on a door at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City. Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images
In the Jan. 21, 2024, memo, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, one of Trump’s former private attorneys, directs federal prosecutors to “investigate … for potential prosecution” state and local officials who “resist, obstruct, or otherwise fail to comply” with the new administration’s immigration orders.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove asserted in a recent memo that the Constitution and other legal authorities ‘require state and local actors to comply with the Executive Branch’s immigration enforcement initiatives.’ Jeenah Moon-Pool/Getty Images
By ordering federal prosecutors to potentially arrest, charge and imprison state and local officials, it strikes at a fundamental tension embedded in the nation’s constitutional structure in a way that Trump’s other orders do not. That tension has never been fully resolved, in either the political or legal arenas.
The practicalities of this dual sovereignty – where two governments exercise supreme power – have had to play out in practice, with often very messy results. The crux of the problem is that the Constitution explicitly grants power to both federal and state governments – but the founders did not specify what to do if the two sovereigns disagree or how any ensuing struggle should be resolved.
As Bove correctly noted in his memo, Article 4 of the U.S Constitution contains the supremacy clause, which declares that federal laws “shall be the supreme Law of the Land.”
But Bove failed to mention that the Constitution also contains the 10th Amendment. Its language, that “(a)ll powers not granted to the federal government are reserved to the states or to the people, respectively,” has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to create a sphere of state sovereignty into which the federal government may not easily intrude.
This is not to say that the federal government is barred from making policies in these areas. Indeed, the great puzzle of federalism – and the great challenge for courts – has been to figure out the boundaries between state and federal power and how two sovereigns can coexist.
If it sounds confusing, that’s because it is. The country’s best legal minds have long wrestled with how to balance the powers granted by the supremacy clause and the 10th Amendment.
Push and pull
In a 1997 opinion, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that the Constitution barred the federal government from ‘impress[ing] into its service…the police officers of the 50 States.’ Alex Wong/Getty Images
Reflecting this tension, the Supreme Court developed a pair of legal doctrines that sit uneasily alongside each other.
The first is the doctrine of “preemption,,” in which federal law can supersede state policy in certain circumstances, such as when a congressional statute expressly withdraws certain powers from the states.
At the same time, the court has limited the reach of the federal government, particularly in its ability to tell states what to do, a doctrine now known as the “anti-commandeering rule.” Were the Trump administration to go after state or local officials, both of these legal principles could come into play.
The anti-commandeering rule was first articulated in 1992 when the Supreme Court ruled in New York v. United States that the federal government could not force a state to take control of radioactive waste generated within its boundaries.
The court relied on the doctrine again five years later, in Printz v. United States, when it rejected the federal government’s attempt to require local law enforcement officials to conduct background checks before citizens could purchase handguns.
In an opinion authored by conservative icon Antonin Scalia and joined by four other Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices, the court held that the Constitution’s framers intended states to have a “residuary and inviolable sovereignty” that barred the federal government from “impress[ing] into its service … the police officers of the 50 States.”
“This separation of the two spheres is one of the Constitution’s structural protections of liberty,” Scalia wrote. Allowing state law enforcement to be conscripted into service for the federal government would disrupt what James Madison called the “double security” the founders wanted against government tyranny and would allow the “accumulation of excessive power” in the federal government.
Justice John Paul Stevens dissented, pointing out that the 10th Amendment preserves for states only those powers that are not already given to the federal government.
What happens at the Supreme Court?
The anti-commandeering and preemption doctrines were on display again during the first Trump administration, when jurisdictions around the country declared themselves “sanctuary cities” that would protect residents from federal immigration officials.
Subsequent litigation tested whether the federal government could punish these locales by withholding federal funds. The administration lost most cases. Several courts ruled that despite its extensive power over immigration, the federal government could not financially punish states for failing to comply with federal law.
One circuit court, in contrast, formulated an “immigration exception” to the anti-commandeering rule and upheld the administration’s financial punishment of uncooperative states.
The Supreme Court has never directly ruled on how the anti-commandeering rule works in the context of immigration. While the Printz decision would seem to bar the Justice Department from acting on its threats, the court could rule that given the federal government’s nearly exclusive power over immigration, such actions do not run afoul of the anti-commandeering doctrine.
Whether such a case ever makes it to the Supreme Court is unknown. Recent events, in which a Chicago school’s staff denied entry to people they thought were immigration agents, seem to be heading toward a federal and state confrontation.
